# Libyan National Army

The Libyan National Army (LNA; Arabic: الجيش الوطني الليبي, al-jaysh al-waṭaniyy al-Lībii) or the Libyan Arab Army (LAA; Arabic: الجيش العربي الليبي, al-Jaysh al-'Arabiyy al-Lībii) is a component of Libya's military forces which were nominally a unified national force under the command of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar when he was nominated to the role on 2 March 2015 by the House of Representatives, consisting at the time of a ground force, an air force and a navy.
In 2014, LNA launched Operation Dignity, a military campaign against the General National Congress and armed militias and Islamist militant organizations. When the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) was established in Tripoli, part of the Libyan military forces were named the Libyan Army to contrast with the other part that retained the LNA identity. In the Second Libyan Civil War, the LNA was loyal to that part of the Libyan House of Representatives that met in Tobruk, internationally recognised until October 2015. It fights against the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, as well as Islamic State in Libya which was a common enemy for both LNA and the Libyan Army.
About half of the LNA consists of militias including Madkhali (Salafist) militias and Sudanese, Chadian and Russian mercenaries, which together constitute part of the LNA's effective forces. The LNA possesses its own air force. Most of the Libyan Navy is loyal to the GNA.
Interventions in the political system by the LNA include the late 2016 replacement of nine elected municipal councils out of a total of 27, replacing elected mayors by mostly military individuals and, according to witnesses cited by The Independent, the 17 July 2019 abduction of House of Representatives member Seham Sergiwa at her home in Benghazi by the 106th Brigade. The LNA stated that it was not responsible for the Sergiwa abduction.

## Name

In November 2019, the United Nations Panel of Experts on Libya established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 started using the name Haftar Armed Forces (HAF) to replace the name Libyan National Army to refer to "all armed groups associated with Haftar". It also chose to use lower case regarding "brigades" and "battalions" in order to avoid giving them "the legitimacy of being a formed military unit of a government".$^{:6}$

## Allies

Haftar and the LNA is de facto backed by the governments of Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. France has also provided tacit backing for Haftars forces. France carried out unprecedented air strikes by its Airforce on Chadian opposition fighters, which are LNA's biggest opponents. This resulted in a public dispute with Italy, which is supporting the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli.
Russia is Haftar's most committed ally. In May 2020 the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) stated that Russia had deployed at least 14 MiG planes to the country. The plans were supported by private military contractors of Wagner Group and supporting the LNA.

## Structure

* ground forces
** regular forces
** Special Forces
** military intelligence
** militias
** foreign units
* LNA component of the Libyan Air Force
* naval forces: coastal patrol vessels

## Leadership

Khalifa Haftar was made head of the armed forces of Libya on 2 March 2015, remaining as leader of the Libyan National Army after the split between the LNA and the Government of National Accord (GNA). As of December 2017, Major General Abdulrazek al-Nadoori was the chief of staff of the LNA. A lobbying firm was paid US$450,000 to lobby on his behalf for 12 months, starting 1 December 2017, in Washington, D.C. Mahmoud al-Werfalli, known internationally for his International Criminal Court arrest warrant under Article 8(2)(c)(i) of the Rome Statute, was Axes Commander in the al-Saiqa unit of the LNA as of August 2017.
Other senior leaders include:
* Commander-in-chief Aguila Saleh Issa (President of the Libyan House of Representatives).
* Supreme commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
* Chief of Staff of the Libyan Air Force Major General Saqr Geroushi.
* Military intelligence Major General Ramadan Atiat-Allah.
* Libyan Special Forces Major General Wanis Bukhamada.
* Head of Operations Major General Abdulsalam al-Hasy.
* Official Spokesperson of the LNA Major General Ahmed al-Mesmary.
* Head of Darna operations room Major General Salim al-Rifady al-Obaidy.

## Ground forces
### Regular forces

As of May 2019, the LNA had about 7000 regular forces. These include:

#### 106th Brigade

In April 2019, the 106th Brigade, also known as Awlia Aldem (Arabic: أوليء الدم) was led by Khaled, son of Khalifa Haftar. As of June 2019, the brigade's commander was Salem Rahil.
On 17 July 2019, according to witnesses cited by The Independent and a family member cited by CNN, 25–30 masked, uniformed 106th Brigade members abducted member of the Libyan House of Representatives Seham Sergiwa in Benghazi. The LNA stated that it was not responsible for the abduction. As of 17 October 2019, after multiple calls by UNSMIL for the LNA to investigate the disappearance, Sergiwa remained missing.

#### 73rd Brigade Mechanized infantry

Leader: Saleh al-Quta'ani (Aug 2019)

#### Tareq ben Ziyad Brigade

Leader: Omar Mraje' (Aug 2019)

#### 9th Brigade

Leader: Kani brothers; origin: Tarhuna (Aug 2019)

#### 128th Battalion

Leader: Hassan al-Zadma; many Mahamid members (Aug 2019)

#### 116th Battalion

Leader: Massoud Jiddu (Aug 2019)

#### 124th Brigade

Leader:

#### 309th Brigade Mechanized infantry

Leader:

#### 1st Brigade

Leader:

#### 166th Brigade Mechanized infantry

Leader:

#### 188th Brigade infantry

Leader:

#### 5th Brigade infantry

Leader:

#### 115th Brigade Mechanized infantry

Leader:

#### 82nd Brigade infantry

Leader:

### Special forces

Al-Saiqa is an elite army unit, formed from a mixture of paratroopers and commandos. It numbers a few thousand and reports to the Ministry of Defence. It is popular in Benghazi, particularly in light of its opposition to Islamist Ansar al-Sharia group and because it is seen as a symbol of the reborn Libyan armed forces.

### Militias

Madkhali militias in the LNA include the Tawhid Battalion commanded by Izz al-Din al-Tarhuni; the Tariq Ibn Ziyad Brigade, the Subul al-Salam group and the al-Wadi Brigade. LNA groups from Sabratha, Sorman, Tiji and Badr, towns in which Madkhali preachers were active and supported Haftar, are mostly Madkhali Salafists.
During the 2019–20 Western Libya campaign, the LNA was allied with the al-Kaniyat militia in Tarhuna.
The number of auxiliary LNA forces (militias and mercenaries) was estimated in May 2019 as 18000 by Jason Pack of the Institute for International Political Studies.

### Foreign mercenaries

Foreign mercenaries operating during 2019 Western Libya offensive on behalf of the LNA include Sudanese, Chadians and Russians.
Sudanese from the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (Minnawi) were present in Libya starting in March 2015 and fought on behalf of the LNA in 2016. SLM (Minnawi) planned on leaving Libya in early 2017.$^{:115}$ Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (al-Nur) fighters fought on behalf of the LNA, with 1500 personnel in Libya in mid-2016.$^{:115}$ Involvement of Sudanese mercenaries continued in 2018.$^{:9,79,80}$ On 25 July 2019, 1000 members of the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces, widely attributed to be responsible for the 3 June 2019 Khartoum massacre, arrived in Libya and were expected to number 4000 in total.
Chadians from the Rally of Democratic Forces (French: Rassemblement des Forces Démocratique) were recruited by the LNA in late 2015, especially in the southern part of Libya.
There were an estimated 200 Russian Wagner Group mercenaries in the LNA in 2019.
On 1 January 2022, the 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission announced the deportation of 300 Sudanese mercenaries linked to the LNA from the Eastern Region.

## History
### 2011–2013

The Libyan National Army was founded in 2011 by the National Transitional Council, after forces aligned to it defeated the previous Libyan Army and overthrew Muammar Gaddafi's government. Supply depots and bases having been damaged during the civil war, the new army is faced with the challenge of having to rebuild much of the country's military infrastructure. Yousef Mangoush was named as its first Chief of Staff on 2 January 2012 and the force saw its first major deployment on 23 February, when it was deployed to Kufra to intervene in a tribal conflict.
In November 2011, the National Transitional Council began the difficult process of restructuring the army, with military personnel who defected from the Gaddafi government and former rebel fighters of the National Liberation Army forming the basis of the new Libyan Army. Major General Khalifa Belgacem Haftar was chosen as the overall commander of the new Libyan Army due to his military experience and loyalty to the revolution that overthrew Gaddafi.
The Libyan Army only numbered "a few thousand" trained soldiers in November 2011, and was rapidly trying to train up new fighters who could keep the peace nationwide and deter rogue militias from acting without NTC orders, and was responsible for brokering a ceasefire on at least one occasion in November between warring militas from Zawiya and Al Maya.
On 1 December 2011, it was reported that the National Liberation Army was to integrate up to 50,000 former rebel fighters into the new Libyan national army and police forces, with the aid of French training, with long-term aims to integrate as many as 200,000 fighters from the brigades that had fought against Gaddafi during the civil war.
In December 2011, Italy agreed to provide training to the Libyan Army as it attempted to reorganize in the aftermath of the Civil War.
Also in December, large numbers of former rebels were being given jobs in the new army, whilst the government also announced that they would be free to join the special forces and the Navy too. According to Osama al-Juwaili, the defence minister: "The idea is to inject new blood in the army which was marginalised by the tyrant (Gaddafi)"
General Yousef Mangoush said on 5 January 2012 that Libya's new army faces major obstacles such as rebuilding bases destroyed during the conflict, as well as disarming militias that were not part of the new army. National Army commander General Khalifa Haftar said later that it could take between three and five years for Libya to field a capable enough army to protect its borders.
On 7 May 2013, Libya's Defense Minister Mohammed al-Barghathi resigned due to a crisis caused by gunmen who have besieged two ministries for more than a week, a ministry official said. He later withdrew his resignation after Prime Minister Zeidan convinced him to stay.
Under an agreement reached at the Lough Erne G8 summit in June 2013, NATO countries the United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey, and the United States undertook to help train up to 15,000 personnel from Libyan National Army units over a two-year period. They were to take units from newly formed brigades for 10-week stints of intensive infantry training. The 27th Brigade was due to start at Bassingbourn in eastern England in January 2014. As a result of disorder and sexual assaults by some Libyan army cadets, the UK cancelled the programme in November 2014. The Libyan trainees were sent back to Libya, with the exception of five who were tried for sexual offenses.

### 2016 overthrow of mayors

In late 2016, Major-General Abdulrazek al-Nadoori of the LNA replaced several of the elected municipal mayors in eastern Libya by unelected people, mostly military. Altogether the LNA replaced nine elected councils, out of 27 in its area of control, by military administrators.

## Equipment

Whilst it is known to a degree what equipment the Libyan National Army uses, the exact numbers of the below equipment currently in use is not known. What is certain is that a reasonable quantity of their equipment probably came from ransacked stocks of the original Libyan Army and from defectors as well. A significant amount of arms and equipment possessed by the LNA were majorly shipped by the United Arab Emirates and Russia. Having an airbase in Libya (Al-Khadim), the UAE constantly breached the UN arms embargo to transfer arms to the Haftar forces. An Emirati firm, Lancaster-6 was involved in transferring three Super Pumas to the LNA in June 2019. The helicopters were believed to be incapable to operate. The three helicopters remained inside hangars until Haftar's military parade in May 2021 and were expected to take part in his air force.

### Technicals

A variety of pickup/utility vehicles, called technicals and gun trucks, often Toyota and other makers, armed with a variety of different weapons, including heavy machine guns, light MLRS' and anti-aircraft guns, most commonly used is the ZU-23-2 and the ZPU.

### Small arms

| Name | Country of origin | Type | Caliber | Details |
| AK-47 | Soviet Union | Assault rifle | 7.62×39mm | |
| AKM | Soviet Union | Assault rifle | 7.62×39mm | |
| AK-103 | Russia | Assault rifle | 7.62×39mm | |
| AR-M1 | Bulgaria | Assault rifle | 5.56×45mm NATO 7.62×39mm | Supplied by the UAE. |
| Type 56 | China | Assault rifle | 7.62×39mm | Type 56-1 rifles supplied by the UAE. |
| Heckler & Koch G36 | Germany | Assault rifle | 5.56×45mm NATO | |
| MAT-49 | France | Submachine gun | 9×19mm Parabellum | |
| FN P90 | Belgium | Submachine gun | FN 5.7×28mm | |
| SVD | Soviet Union | Designated marksman rifle | 7.62×54mmR | |
| RPD machine gun | Soviet Union | Light machine gun | 7.62×39mm | |
| RPK machine gun | Soviet Union | Light machine gun | 7.62×39mm | |
| PKM | Soviet Union | General-purpose machine gun | 7.62×54mmR | |
| Type 80 | China | General-purpose machine gun | 7.62×54mmR | Supplied by the UAE. |
| DShK | Soviet Union | Heavy machine gun | 12.7×108mm | |
| W85 | China | Heavy machine gun | 12.7×108mm | Supplied by the UAE. |
| SPG-9 | Soviet Union | Recoilless rifle | 73mm | Supplied by Jordan. |
| Carl Gustaf | Sweden | Recoilless rifle | 84mm | |
| M40A1 | United States | Recoilless rifle | 105mm | |
| RPG-7 | Soviet Union | Rocket-propelled grenade | 40mm | |
| Type 69 RPG | China | Rocket-propelled grenade | 40mm | Supplied by the UAE. |
| RPG-32 | Russia Jordan | Rocket-propelled grenade | 105mm | RPG-32 Nashshab supplied by Jordan. |
| 9M14 Malyutka | Soviet Union | Anti-tank guided missile | 125mm | |
| 9K111 Fagot | Soviet Union | Anti-tank guided missile | 120mm | |
| 9M113 Konkurs | Soviet Union | Anti-tank guided missile | 135mm | |
| 9M133 Kornet | Russia | Anti-tank guided missile | 152mm | Supplied by the UAE. Some Iranian-made copies are also used. |
| MILAN | France West Germany / Germany United Kingdom / India in License. | Anti-tank guided missile | 115mm | |
| FGM-148 Javelin | United States | Anti-tank guided missile | 127mm | Transferred from France. |

### Main battle tanks

| Model | Origin | Variant | Details |
| T-54/T-55 | Soviet Union Egypt | T-55A T-55E | Supplied by Egypt. |
| T-62 | Soviet Union Russia | T-62M T-62MV | T-62M and T-62MV supplied by Russia. |
| T-72 | Soviet Union | T-72 T-72M1 | Some were upgraded by General Dynamics UK prior to the 2011 Libyan revolution. |

### Armored fighting vehicles

| Model | Origin | Type | Variant | Details |
| BMP-1 | Soviet Union | Infantry fighting vehicle | | |
| BMP-3 | Russia | Infantry fighting vehicle | | 10 delivered in 2013. |
| Ratel IFV | South Africa | Infantry fighting vehicle | Ratel 20 Ratel 60 | 1 Ratel 60 was captured by the GNA at Tarhuna. |
| BRDM-2 | Soviet Union Ukraine | Armored car | | Some were supplied by the UAE. |
| EE-9 Cascavel | Brazil | Armored car | | |
| M113 | United States | Tracked armored personnel carrier | | |
| MT-LB | Soviet Union | Command vehicle | MT-LBu | |
| BTR-60 | Soviet Union | Wheeled armored personnel carrier | BTR-60PB | |
| KADDB Al Mared | Jordan | Wheeled armored personnel carrier | | Supplied by Jordan. |
| Mbombe 6 | South Africa | Wheeled armored personnel carrier | | Supplied by Jordan. |
| Nimr | United Arab Emirates | Wheeled armored personnel carrier | Jais N35 4x4 Nimr II | 49 donated by Jordan. |
| Puma | Italy | Wheeled armored personnel carrier | 6x6 | 20 donated by Italy. |
| BAE Caiman | United States | MRAP | | Supplied by the UAE. |
| INKAS Titan | United Arab Emirates | MRAP | Titan-S 4x4 Titan-S 6x6 Titan-DS | Supplied by the UAE. |
| STREIT Group Typhoon | United Arab Emirates | MRAP | | 50 donated by the UAE. |
| BMC Vuran | Turkey | MRAP | | Captured from GNA forces. |
| HMMWV | United States | Infantry mobility vehicle | | 200 donated by the US in 2012. |
| KADDB Al Wahsh | Jordan | Infantry mobility vehicle | | Supplied by Jordan. |
| STREIT Group Cougar | United Arab Emirates | Infantry mobility vehicle | | Supplied by the UAE. |
| KrAZ Cobra | United Arab Emirates | Infantry mobility vehicle | | Supplied by the UAE. |
| STREIT Group Spartan | United Arab Emirates | Infantry mobility vehicle | | 750 donated by the UAE. |
| Panthera T6 | United Arab Emirates | Infantry mobility vehicle | | Supplied by the UAE. |
| Panthera F9 | United Arab Emirates | Infantry mobility vehicle | | Supplied by the UAE. |
| Igirigi APC | Nigeria | Infantry mobility vehicle | Mk II | Supplied by the UAE. |
| TAG Terrier LT-79 | United States | Infantry mobility vehicle | | Supplied by the UAE. |
| TAG BATT AP | United States | Infantry mobility vehicle | | Supplied by the UAE. |
| GAZ Tigr | Russia | Infantry mobility vehicle | Tigr-M | 4 were transferred from the Wagner Group to the LNA. |

### Artillery

| Name | Country of origin | Type | Caliber | Details |
| 2S1 Gvozdika | Soviet Union | Self-propelled gun | 122mm | |
| D-30 | Soviet Union | Towed howitzer | 122mm | |
| M-30 | Soviet Union | Towed howitzer | 122mm | Supplied by Russia. |
| G5 howitzer | South Africa / South Africa | Towed howitzer | 155mm | Supplied by the UAE. |
| Type 63 | People's Republic of China Republic of Sudan (1985–2019) | Towed multiple rocket launcher | 107mm | Sudanese-made launchers are also used. |
| LRSVM Morava | Serbia | Self-propelled multiple rocket launcher | 107mm 122mm | Supplied by the UAE. |
| BM-21 Grad | Soviet Union | Self-propelled multiple rocket launcher | 122mm | |
| M1989 | North Korea United Arab Emirates | Self-propelled multiple rocket launcher | 122mm | 240mm rocket launcher modified to fire 122mm rockets. |
| Scud-B | Soviet Union | Tactical ballistic missile | | |
| M106 mortar carrier | United States | Mortar carrier | 107mm | |
| Boragh | Iran | Mortar carrier | 120mm | Supplied by Sudan. |
| Type 31 | China | Infantry mortar | 60mm | Supplied by the UAE. |
| 82-BM-37 | Soviet Union | Infantry mortar | 82mm | Some were supplied by Russia. |
| 120-PM-43 mortar | Soviet Union | Towed mortar | 120mm | Some were supplied by Russia. |

### Air defense

| Name | Country of origin | Type | Caliber | Details |
| S-125 | Soviet Union Belarus | Short-range surface-to-air missile | | Supplied by the UAE. |
| 9K31 Strela-1 | Soviet Union | Short-range surface-to-air missile | | |
| 2K12 Kub | Soviet Union | Medium range surface-to-air missile | | |
| Pantsir-S1 | Russia | Medium range SAM and SPAAG | 30mm | Supplied by the UAE. |
| 9K338 Igla-S | Russia | Man-portable air-defense system | 72mm | |
| ZPU-2 | Soviet Union | Anti-aircraft gun | 14.5×114mm | Mounted on technicals. |
| ZU-23-2 | Soviet Union Poland | Anti-aircraft gun | 23x152mmB | Mounted on technicals. Some Polish-made guns were supplied by the UAE. |
| ZSU-23-4 | Soviet Union | Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun | 23x152mmB | |

### Utility vehicles and trucks

| Name | Country of origin | Type | Model | Details |
| Toyota Land Cruiser | Japan | Utility vehicle | HZJ-79 | Used as technicals. |
| Jeep J8 | United States | Light utility vehicle | | Supplied by Egypt. |
| Fath Safir | Iran | Light utility vehicle | | Supplied by Sudan. |
| KAMAZ | Russia | Medium truck | 6x6 | |
| Iveco Trakker | Italy | Heavy truck (10 tonnes) | Trakker 380 | |

### UAVs

| Name | Image | Country of origin | Type | Details |
| CAIG Wing Loong II | | China | Attack drone | |
| Mohajer 2 | | Iran | Surveillance drone | Supplied by Sudan. |